An OECD report into the effectiveness of the Federal Government's My School initiative has helped to provide greater transparency in the country's school system.

 

The Delivering School Transparency in Australia: National reporting through My School found that the policy had significantly achieved solid progress in achieving its state goals.

 

“The OECD monograph sets out the rationale behind My School, the various challenges the Government faced during its development, and how these challenges were resolved. The report provides examples of sound policy formation and strong political leadership which other countries may choose to learn from,” School Education Minister Peter Garrett said.

 

The report found that as a result of My School, we now have nationally consistent data that lets us analyse policy options and better target our funding and resources.”

 

International research—including the OECD Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA)—shows clear accountability for school results encourages better results for school leaders, teachers and students and lets parents make informed decisions about their child’s education.

 

Key observations of the OECD report include:

  • School transparency has placed the whole community in the same position as education officials in having access to new national data.
  • Policy details were based on evidence
  • The Government clearly articulated the rationale for making nationally comparable school information publicly available, and promoted greater flexibility for education expenditure in return for more transparency and accountability.
  • Before NAPLAN and My School there was no nationally comparable data or single source of data on all schools on which to base policy reforms and the equitable distribution of funding.

 

The full report can be found here